Teacher shortage ‘time bomb’

Auckland needs 6500 more high school teachers over the next 20 years to cover a predicted shortage, according to a principals’ group.

The Auckland Secondary Schools Principals’ Association (ASSPA) said the region was hemorrhaging quality teachers, and there weren’t enough teachers training to cover the amount about to retire.

It all came down to pay, association spokesman and Glendowie College principal Richard Dykes said.

‘‘Pay teachers what they are worth. It is as simple as that.’’

‘‘We’ve got schools now competing with each other for teachers. I know one school [that is] offering a recruitment bonus out of their funds to attract new teachers and we’ve got schools using

‘‘Pay teachers what they are worth.’’

Richard Dykes

operating budgets, which they should be using on textbooks, to pay extra to poach teachers from each other.’’

There are about 100,000 secondary students and about 7000 secondary teachers in Auckland in 2017, according to a position paper released by the association on Tuesday.

The region needed more than 9000 secondary teachers by 2037 to keep up with projected student numbers, but instead was on track to have only 3000.

Nationally, there was an ‘‘impending tsunami’’ of teacher retirements and rapidly declining numbers of teaching graduates, Dykes said.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a ticking time bomb for schools as baby boomer teachers retire and too few incoming teachers [come] through to take over.’’

The Government had introduced a $9.5 million teacher supply package before Christmas.

According to ASSPA, upwards of 8000 secondary teachers would retire and only about 5000 new teachers would take their places over the next 10 years.

On top of that, 38 per cent of those new graduates were estimated to leave the teaching profession after five years.

In Auckland, Dykes said they are affected by the migration of teachers to other regions, reduced teacher labour mobility and population growth.

‘‘We lost a really good teacher because she was able to get a job closer to home, she even took a pay cut – simply because she did not want to drive across the [Harbour Bridge] everyday.

‘‘Like every other school we are struggling to get quality applicants for middle management for exactly the same reason.’’